Overview

Established in 1948, the Department has been setting a standard both within the college as well as in the larger city educational community regarding innovations in studying and teaching English. Mount Carmel’s Department of English is one of the earliest departments to introduce Literature as a subject in the undergraduate studies. It currently offers an undergraduate dual major in Literature with Psychology; a Master’s in English and will be inaugurating a research department from the coming academic year.

Year of Establishment : 1948

Vision

Create an atmosphere for academic excellence and foster a love for language and literature. Promote liberal education in students, thus empowering them as individuals.

Mission

• Equip students with communication skills in English.
• Strengthen their ability to analyse all forms of literary expression.
• Train students for higher education, careers and research.
• Empowerment of individuals through education.
• Foster creative thinking/ reasoning and global competencies among students.

Head of the Department

Dr. Sajitha M.A., M.Phil., Ph.D., B.Ed.
Campus Co-ordinator & Associate Professor
Email : english@mccblr.edu.in

Dual Major Program

• B.A. - English Literature, Psychology

PG Program

• M.A., English

2023 - 24

• Meraki, a festival by the School of Humanities and the Department of English, was celebrated on 10th October, ’23 DJB Auditorium and its basement in the college from 9 to 4 am. There was the release of Writers’ Bloc, the student magazine of the Department of English, the Annual Literary Quiz, the Literary Showcase, an exhibition of creations by Core and GE students, a symposium on the genesis of Kathak by Shri Mysore B Nagaraj, and the open mic event.
• The Undergraduate Board of Studies meeting was held on 30th September in Boardroom 3 at Mother Theresa Block from 11 am to 1 pm. The new curriculum for sixth semester double major BA for Asian Literatures and Postcolonial Literature as well as British Literature was presented, discussed, amended and passed in the presence of the external members who attended online, comprising of Dr Chitra Panikkar, Professor, from Bengaluru University English Department, Dr Shaheen Ebrahimkutty, Associate Professor, from Alliance University English Department, Dr. Ratnakshi Roy, Assistant Professor from St. Joseph’s University English Department, and the Industry Expert Pooja Sampath, film maker and executive producer. The meeting was chaired by the Head of the Department and attended by all the Department teachers.
• The Post Graduate Board of Examiners was held on 3rd October for Third Semester, MA English Language and Literature. Dr. Yoganand Rao D was the external examiner. Two faculty members from the Department including the PG Coordinator and MA coordinator completed the committee.
• On September 13th, 2023, a program called “Dear Donna” was held by Literary Society at the amphitheatre from 8 am to 9 15 am as part of Cultural Week.
• The Department of English launched an orientation program for final year /ma students on UGC/NET/KSET delivered by Dr. Thirumalesha on September 14th ’23, at Mother of Carmel Seminar Hall.
• The Department organized a guest lecture on “Navigating World Knowledge: The Crevices of Research and Publication” by Dr. Partha Bhattacharjee on September 15, ’23 via Google Meet online for the literature main students.
• A faculty member published a research paper on “Traumatized Cyborgs: A Posthumanist Outlook in Pat Cadigan’s Synners “ in the UGC CARE Journal, Anhad Lokh, September 15, ’23.
• The Department held a talk on Research Methodology for MA English students delivered by Dr. Amrita Banerjee from St. Joseph’s University, Bengaluru, on 19th September, at Golden Jubilee Block Auditorium 1, from 9 to 11 am.
• A hybrid mode talk on Global Business Essentials: An Introductory Toolkit for Navigating International Relations and Commerce” by Sarthak Mukherjee on September 22nd ’23, for second year General English students Golden Jubilee Block Auditorium 1.
• The Department of English along with the Film Club and the Department of Communication Studies screened a documentary film “From the Shadows” by the filmmaker and alumna Miriam Chandy Menacherry on September 22nd, ’23, at the Diamond Jubilee Block Auditorium from 9 30 am to 12 pm, followed by an interactive session with the film maker.
• The Department held a Poetry Writing Workshop by Mamta Sagar, a noted Kannada writer, presently from Srishti Manipal Institute of Art, Design and Technology, on 26th September ’23 at the basement of DJB as an inter-collegiate program.
• Three faculty members presented excerpts from their ongoing research at a symposium organized in by the Humanities Association, MCC. The event was held on 19 August, 2023, in the VC Room. A faculty member who is part of Humanities Association helped organize the event.
• A Film Screening of The Secret Life of Walter Mitty was held for 5th Semester students of Psychology and English etc., on 12 -8- 2023, at GJB Auditorium 1.
• A Film Screening was held of Marjane Satrapi’s Persepolis for all II Year II Sem students of Arts, Science and Commerce streams at DBJ Auditorium collaborating with the Film Club on 12 - 08- ‘23.
• A program Meru Mati Meri Desh was conducted by the Department of English and NSS where Commander C Rajesh was honoured on 14th August 2023 at Public Park, Vasanth Nagar.
• A Film Screening of Dead Poet’s Society was held by Literary Society at DJB Auditorium on 17th of August for all who could attend from the college.
• A talk on Dalit literature was given on 18th August 2023 at GJB 2 by Yogesh Maitreya to MA English students and others who could attend including Core English students.
• The solo play in Kannada and English, Shakespeare’s Wife, was organized and put up/ performed in DJB on 18th August 2023, in collaboration with the Dept. of Kannada.
• On 21st of August Prof. Jay Ramesh from Columbia University gave a talk online on Narrative and Literary Form in South Asian Religious Literature, open to all students and faculty by Zoom.
• All the members of the faculty of the English Department attended an FDP Program organized by CLDT, MCC, from August 24th 2023 to 30th August in offline and online sessions.
• A faculty member successfully submitted her PhD thesis to CMR University on 18 July, 2023.
• The PG Coordinator was granted PhD supervisor status by Bangalore University, under the aegis of MCC research center.
• A faculty member did an FDP starting June 29 and extending to 5th July organised by VIT Chennai. The topic was “Contemporary Literary Themes and Techniques".
• Mount Carmel College held an FDP for all the teachers from 22nd June to 28th June and 12 teachers from the English Department (MCC) got certificates for participating and completing it successfully.
• Two of our faculty did FDPs from University of Delhi, from June 18th, 2023 to 2nd July. It was a refresher course in English.
• A Multidisciplinary Course titled “Travel Literature and Travel Writing” is being conducted by a faculty member. The student strength is 31.
• Five Master classes were conducted by a faculty member, one at Arch Design College, Rajasthan, dated 19 July, 2023, and the other four at Goethe Institute, Kampala, Uganda, on July 15, 22, and 29, and August 5, 2023.
• A faculty member presented two papers at the “Race and Environmental Justice Conference” organized by the University of Vienna on 14 July 2023, and the “Reclaiming the Commons Conference” organized by ASLE/AESS at Portland, Oregon, USA, on 9 July 2023. She also published a chapter titled “ ‘I am also a We’: Pathic Communities and the Globalization of Affect in the Wachowskis’ Sense8” in Globalization and Planetary Ethics: New Terrains of Consciousness, Edited by Simi Malhotra et al. Routledge, 2023.
• A faculty member participated in an international teaching conference organized by St. Joseph’s University, Bengaluru, from the 8th to the 10th of June. On the 9th, there was a workshop that was also attended by her.
• The textbooks for American Literature and European Literature, 5th Semester, 2023, were created as part of curriculum design and syllabus making as per BoE directions.
• A faculty member received a certificate for her research publication co-authored with another faculty member on “Scripting Gender through Cinema: Analysis of Indigenized Cinematic Shakespearean Adaptations’ Trailer” in Journal of Namibian Studies (Scopus Publication, June 2023).
• A faculty member participated in an international virtual short-term program on Teaching, Learning and Research organized by Mindanao State University-Sulu, Philippines, Office of the Internationalization in Collaboration with Cape Comorin Trust, India from 20-24 June 2023.
• Academic Year 2023-24 started on June 22, 2023.
• Five new faculty members joined the team, two as part-time.
• Another faculty member completed her doctorate from Bharathiyar University and was awarded her PhD degree.
• Three faculty members presented summaries of their doctoral theses at the FDP conducted by the School of Humanities, MCC on 28 June, 2023.
• PG intake for this academic year has increased to 50 students with 1 male student.
• A faculty member received a certificate of appreciation for her talk “Understanding Santhals from an Insider’s View” organized by Ispell Sahityik Sataang.

2022 - 23

• Co-organised a Platinum Jubilee event “Famous beyond Words” a talk and exhibition with the Shakespearewallah of Mysuru Prof B. N. Balajee on 18th August 2022.
• Organised an interactive session with Saga Fiction on 24th August 2022. The discussion centred on author Jonita Davis’s novel Carrying On.
• Launched the Literary Showcase Meraki on 10th September 2022 which featured the literary output of the literature students over the previous year, as well as the Annual Literary Quiz and an Open Mic.
• Department of English organised its first Student Exchange Programme under the Academic and Networking Collaborations proposal of the Xavier Board of Higher Education in India. The second year MA students from Sacred Heart Arts and Science College, Perani, Villupuram, Tamil Nadu participated in this week-long exchange held from 14th November 2022 – 19th November 2022.
• Organised an Alumna Talk – “No, it’s not a Cult – A Brief Introduction to Fan Studies” by Ms Asna K M on 13th January 2023.
• The Gauri Lankesh Study Circle held a discussion on “Feminism for the 99 %” on 20th January 2023.
• Organised the Annual Inter-collegiate Literary Festival Amatora on 9th and 10th March 2023. Amatora is an upgrade on the previous fest Apostrophe in that it is both Academic and Competitive.

2021 - 22

• Launched the Alumni Speak Series – I on 27th August 2021. The talk was “An Interactive Session: ‘Higher Studies Abroad’” was helmed by the Speakers: Ms Asna K M, Ms Christeena Anto and Ms Ankitha V.
• Special Talk for MA students on “The 3Ts: Translate, Transcreate, Transliterate” by Ms Keerthi Ramachandra on 21st and 22nd October 2021.

2020 - 21

• National Webinar on “Intellectual Traditions and Critical Discourses: An Introduction” – 8th June 2020 to 16th June 2020.
• Workshop – “Looks and Gaze in Film Theory”.
• Annual one day literary fest Apostrophe held in the hybrid format.

2019 - 20

• Worksop – On Translations – August 2019.
• Annual one day inter-collegiate literary fest Apostrophe on 14th January 2020.
• Writer’s Bloc – second edition released.

2018 - 19

• UGC Sponsored Post Graduate Seminar – “Rethinking Contemporary India: A Dialogue through Culture, Literature and Language” – July 2018.
• Workshop: Slam Poetry – August 2018.
• Annual one day inter-collegiate literary fest Apostrophe on 4th December 2018.
• Launch of the department in-house magazine – Writer’s Bloc.

• A robust Master’s programme with an interdisciplinary focus in the curriculum structure.
• Qualified faculty with diverse research interests.
• Recognised research centre.
• The literary festival Amatora, designed with an academic and competitive focus, is run by the literature students (UG & PG) so as to hone their skills in various domains.
• Meraki, the student showcase – displays the work students create in the course of the academic year.
• In house magazine Writer’s Bloc to promote literary pursuits of the student body.